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WHEELING – The Wheeling Nailers have acquired defenseman Hunter Sansbury from the Florida Everblades in exchange for the ECHL rights to goaltender Gabriel D’Aigle.
Sansbury, 25, has appeared in 11 career games with the Everblades, as he began his professional career late in the 2024-25 season. Prior to turning pro, Hunter played four years of college hockey at Sacred Heart University, where he served as the team captain during his junior and senior seasons. The Lomita, California native finished second among defensemen in scoring for the Pioneers during his sophomore, junior, and senior campaigns. Over the course of his four years at Sacred Heart, Sansbury accumulated 18 goals, 46 assists, and 64 points, while playing in 148 of 149 possible games. Hunter’s best collegiate season came in 2024-25, when he posted 21 points and a +12 rating in 39 games, while helping the Pioneers to their first Atlantic Hockey playoff series win since 2018. Sansbury signed an ECHL contract with Florida prior to the trade, so he becomes the second player under contract with the Nailers this offseason.
D’Aigle, 19, began his professional career this past spring, when the Nailers signed him to an ECHL contract. Gabriel went 1-2-0 with a 2.63 goals against average and a .925 save percentage in three regular season starts, which included a 38-save effort in his first career win on April 12th at Reading. The netminder also appeared in one postseason contest during the North Division Final Series against the Maine Mariners. Prior to turning pro, the Sorel-Tracy, Quebec native played four seasons of junior hockey with the QMJHL’s Victoriaville Tigres. D’Aigle went 56-66-7 with a 3.94 goals against average and an .892 save percentage in 140 games for the Tigres. Gabriel was originally selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, and 2026-27 will be the first season on his three-year NHL entry-level contract with Pittsburgh, who is now the NHL affiliate for the Everblades.
The Penguins decision to change their affiliation to Florida coupled with D’Aigle’s ECHL rights belonging to Wheeling made the trade necessary.
NAILERS RE-SIGN SUTTER
Wheeling has re-signed defenseman Aidan Sutter to an ECHL contract.
Sutter, 23, is coming off of his first full professional season, as he recorded three goals, six assists, nine points, and a +9 rating in 47 regular season contests with Wheeling. The blueliner then appeared in ten of the club’s 17 games during the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Aidan’s first big moment from the 2025-26 season came in the second game of the campaign, when he scored his first career goal at Maine on October 25th. Sutter also enjoyed a three-game point streak in January, which helped to kickstart a five-game winning streak for the team. The end of the regular season was another strong stretch for Aidan, as he posted a +8 rating with three assists over the course of the final 12 games.
The Nailers first acquired the Kamloops, British Columbia native in a trade with the Florida Everblades in December of 2023. By that point, Sutter had appeared in six tilts with Florida, but elected to attend the University of Calgary, where he played parts of two seasons, including an appearance in the 2024 University Cup (Canada’s equivalent to the NCAA National Tournament). Aidan ultimately joined Wheeling in February of 2025 and finished the 2024-25 slate with two assists in 17 games. His ECHL career regular season totals are three goals, eight assists, and 11 points in 70 matches.
Prior to turning pro, Sutter played four seasons of junior hockey for the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. During that time, he amassed 11 goals, 49 assists, 60 points, and a +37 rating in 183 games. His most productive season with the Silvertips came in 2022-23, when he led his squad in scoring by defensemen with 38 points. Aidan also served as an alternate captain that year.